HONOLULU — Planet Fitness brings back its High School Summer Pass program, encouraging teens between the ages of 14 and 19 to work out for free from May 15 to Aug. 31 at any of its five studios in Hawaii, in addition to the more than 2,400 Planet Fitness locations across the U.S. and Canada.
High schoolers can register for the program at the Planet Fitness Summer Pass website. Teens under 18 years are required to register with a parent or guardian online or in-club.
There are five locations in Hawaii: three on Oahu at Ala Moana Center, Kahala Mall and Waianae Shopping Center, one on Maui at Puunene Shopping Center, and one in Kailua-Kona at 75-1000 Henry St. #100.
The High School Summer Pass program is in its third year, offering high schoolers an option to stay active during summer in a “Judgement Free” environment.
The World Health Organization recommends youths up to 17 years of age should average at least 60 minutes each day of moderate to vigorous physical activity to benefit their physical and mental health.
With the launch of the summer pass program during Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s an opportunity for teens to work on mental and physical wellness goals since school activity programs are out of session.
In 2022, the Planet Fitness High School Summer Pass program motivated 3.5 million high school students to complete 17 million workouts over a 3.5-month period.
"At Planet Fitness, it's our continued mission as the leader in fitness to provide high school students free access to our more than 2,400 locations in the U.S. and Canada to start and stick with a health and fitness journey. Research shows that teens are struggling with overall wellness, and this is one of the many reasons why the High School Summer Pass program is so important," said Chris Rondeau, Chief Executive Officer at Planet Fitness in a news release.
"Having joined the gym for the first time when I was 16, I know firsthand the benefits exercise has had on my life, so we look forward to helping teens create lifelong habits in the Judgement Free Zone® this summer,” said Rondeau.
With the goal to support teens over the summer, Planet Fitness commissioned a national study that found “61% of teens face mental health struggles and 93% of teens appreciate how fitness can positively impact their lives and lead to healthier lifestyles into adulthood.”
Planet Fitness is further motivating high schoolers by encouraging all those who sign up to enter the Planet Fitness High School Summer Pass Contest. Planet Fitness will award 10 teens in the U.S. and Canada with $10,000 individual academic scholarships via a TikTok video submission contest.
They ask teens to post a TikTok video that describes their High School Summer Pass experience by tagging @planetfitness using the hashtags #contest and #HSSP23US (U.S. members) or tagging @planetfitnessca using hashtags #contest and #HSSP23CAN (Canada members). Submission period runs through Aug. 31.
In addition, Planet Fitness will provide $10,000 to the top 10 schools on the leaderboard across the U.S. and Canada. The scholarships can be used for athletic equipment, field renovations, physical fitness classes, and health and wellness initiatives.
Participants in the High School Summer Pass program will have access to free fitness training from in-club certified trainers, free workouts designed for high schoolers via the free Planet Fitness app and online workout plans.
Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.